When one of the FCCS leadership consultants first read the book: Navigating Polarities: Using Both/And Thinking to Lead Transformation by Brian Emerson, it sparked what she described as a light bulb moment:
“After I read Navigating Polarities Using Both/And Thinking to Lead Transformation I realized that understanding Both And thinking was useful in almost EVERY aspect of leadership: Setting a vision (Stability::Change). Giving feedback (Candor::Respect), Innovating (Speed::Quality) Focusing your team (Results::People). I knew it had to be a foundational part of our leadership journeys.”
– JEANNIE CLINKENBEARD, DIRECTOR AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CONCSULTANT FOR FCCS’S ACCELERATE CENTER
FCCS was already familiar with polarity thinking, and as times change and complexity grows, they needed a next-level framework that could help their program participants strengthen their leadership in a tangible, team-focused way while still complementing the tools already in use across their programs.
We worked with FCCS to customize and integrate a half-day Navigating Polarities session into FCCS Leading Others program, an eighteen-month development journey designed for mid-level managers.
In just one short session, we introduce the foundations of navigating polarities, and participants walk away with practical tools that they can take back to their teams in real-world applications.
By embedding polarities directly into their program, FCCS creates a scaffolding effect—our session builds the foundation, and participants continue to develop their understandings throughout the entire journey. The session includes real-life application and small group work using our Polarity Navigator® sensemaking tool to navigate real tensions, giving them a practical approach to expand their capacity for Both/And thinking.
“Working with Andiron has been a great partnership. Tonio has been an outstanding facilitator who brings real world examples in an incredibly thoughtful and engaging format.” – JEANNIE CLINKENBEARD, DIRECTOR AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CONCSULTANT FOR
FCCS’S ACCELERATE CENTER
The integration has elevated the FCCS leadership development experience. Leaders now leave with a clear, practical way to navigate tensions and apply Both/And thinking to everyday challenges. The success of Leading Others has opened the door to exploring polarity integration across other FCCS programs.
Through our work, participants in Leading Others have carried polarity thinking back into their systems, sharing it with senior leaders who, in turn, have begun to adopt Both/And mindsets at strategic levels. The ripple effect is clear: infusing Both/And thinking into leadership development programs not only shifts leadership effectiveness at an individual level, it has the potential to shift how entire organizations navigating complexity.
Ready to bring polarities into your leadership work?
Posted In: Case Study